Mip'hae'luodo, otherwise known as Lord Phael was a Sith Lord whose reign began in 47 ABY. He is to this day the only Chiss ever to assume command of the Order. Phael favored a balanced combination of Force Powers and lightsaber skills but was known to have a special enthusiasm for the various lightsaber forms.

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Personality

Phael cannot be said to have one set personality. His demeanor and mannerisms changed drastically as he followed the Dark Path. When he was first initiated into the Sith, he could have been described as being almost cautious and reserved. By the time of his death, Phael became a sadistic, malicious, cold-hearted and despicable person. No act was beyond his scope, no matter how grotesque. In his eyes, alliances were meant only to manipulate and servants were nothing but a crutch.

History

Childhood

Phael was born on the Chiss homeworld Csilla in the year 13 ABY, the first child to two prominent officers in the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force. At the age of four, his parents were reassigned to the Colonial planet of Crustai. The small family followed orders and relocated and built a pleasant estate just outside the main settlement. Once accustomed to his new home, Phael's charismatic nature took over. He made several friends in the colony and soon created quite the gathering of followers.

A year later, Phael ceased to be an only child. His parents however, hardly gave his little sister the time of day, rarely interacting with the child and leaving her for the nurses to care for. Their hopes and dreams all rested on the shoulders of their eldest and favorite child. Aurel grew to be a sickly child, almost constantly bedridden. However, despite her misfortune, she maintained a cheery disposition. Phael and Aurel were very close as siblings go hardly knowing the meaning of rivalry. Often times, Phael was the young girl's only friend and defender. Phael looked out for his sisters interests vehemently, even if it meant defying his parents. His parents found their attachment less than admirable though.

Adolescent Phael

Seeing their connection as a detriment to Phael's progress, they sent him to a military school hoping that he would forget about his ill sister. This however, was hardly the case. Phael's already strained view of his parents collapsed and he sought only to crush their hopes. In all appearances, he excelled in his drills and classes. Indeed, he graduated every tier at the top of the class. This would soon be revealed to be nothing but a mask. He and several of his childhood friends discovered several restricted records regarding one of Picket Force Two's commanders, an individual who would later come to be known as Thrawn. They read his papers, combat journals and all other material related to the exiled officer, something that was considered taboo at the time.

Slowly as the years passed, his performances came resemble those of his new role model. The same was true for his companions. At first, the school's administrators though nothing of it. This negligence ceased when during a simulation a picket force under Phael's command completely destroyed a disarmed and helpless enemy unit for no other reason than that they posed a security risk. An investigation was immediately launched and it was soon discovered that the restricted files had been sliced. Fearing the boy's influence among the other cadets, the administration expelled him from the academy and he promptly returned home.

He lived on his parent's estate for two years in relative excommunication. He did not want to interact with his callous sires nor did they wish to acknowledge their degenerate son and his failure. He continued to meet with his friends who were also expelled and developed plans to create a splinter cell within the construct of the CEDF. However, these plans fell through when on his 18th birthday, Phael awoke to learn that his sister had died during the night. This final blow drove Phael to forsake his family and people. He rushed to the nearest spaceport, acquired a vessel and fled Ascendancy Space forever.

Young Adulthood

After fleeing Ascendancy space, Phael wandered through the galaxy. He retraced Thrawn's steps, uncovering many secrets about his role model previously unknown to anyone. During one of his stops, he exchanged his stolen ship for a Clawcraft which he also stole. It was at about this time that Phael learned of the Sith and the Jedi. After learning as much about their powers as he could, Phael decided that his hero had been searching after a false brand of power. He dedicated himself to locating the Sith with the hopes of joining their ranks. At the age of twenty two, Phael visited the ruined planet of Malachor V to investigate a lead. As he was searching the planet, he was ambushed by a group of Jedi searching for Sith as well. Phael fought ferociously but ultimately survived thanks to the help of two Sith that inhabited the planet. One of the Sith, Darth Lodian, had recently been granted the title of Sith Master and agreed to instruct Phael in the Dark Side of the Force.

After three months of helping to restore Trayas Academy and training, Phael had mastered the core powers necessary to continue on to advanced powers. Unfortunately, Darth Lodian did not follow the laws of the Sith consistently. During one of his missions, he was responsible for the fall of a young Jedi Apprentice. Disregarding the Dark Lord Blade's laws, he took in the fallen Jedi to train. Infuriated by Lodian's actions, Phael left his master and sought out a new instructor. One of the more experienced Sith Lords, Mephistus, continued Phael's training. Under Mephistus, Phael became the most extensively trained apprentice of his generation. He quickly completed his trials, conquering all challenges without a hitch. He was granted the rank of Master on his twenty fourth birthday and he set out to gain prestige in the order.

His first opportunity came sooner than he expected. Lodian and yet another Sith apprentice were attempting to stage an insurrection. Having been incredibly knowledgeable of Malachor's geography, Phael was the first to find the pair. He knew that on his own he was no match for both Sith. He stalled them, tried to reason and persuade them that their current path would mean death. Unwilling to see reason, the two chose their destruction. When Lord Blade arrived, a battle instantly commenced. Blade and Lodian fought ferociously, as did the apprentice known as Skillgannon. A half hour into the battle, Lodian's apprentice that had replaced Phael arrived, however he was no fan of his master. He joined Phael in combat. Outclassed and out numbered, the rebellious pair fell, Lodian by his own blade and Skillgannon by Phael's.

In return for his aid and loyalty, Lord Blade granted Phael a seat on the council making him the only master to ever have a seat. Lodian's apprentice, Khzarr was granted his own mastership for the same reasons. Several years passed, both Phael and Khzarr became highly respected members of the order. They were assigned only missions of the utmost importance. The Empire spread across the galaxy and the Jedi went into hiding. In his fifteenth year as a Sith, Phael and Khzarr were dispatched to eliminate a rogue admiral and a Jedi Master known to be aiding him. After tracking the admiral to Naboo and chasing him through Theed, Phael brutally murdered and mutilated him, de-limbing and decapitating his victim. It was at this time that their Jedi target arrived. However, there apparently had been a meeting of the Jedi and the Grandmaster himself was present. Phael and Khzarr held of the Jedi long enough for Lord Blade and the rest of the Sith Order to arrive. The largest battle between Sith and Jedi since the days of Revan began. The fighting continued throughout the rest of the day and ended with the death of the Grand Master and many members of the Jedi Order.

Phael approached Blade after the battle and Blade informed him that he was tired of conquest and that the Order had to be lead by a new leader. He looked at Phael and told him to ignite his sabers. Phael did as he was commanded and when he was ordered to strike his master down he paused. Never before had a Sith Lord willingly given up power without a fight and Phael suspected a trap. He swung his weapon and the age of Blade was at an end. The age of Phael was about to begin.

Self Ordained Exile

Having buried the former Dark Lord in the tomb of his Ancestors, Phael directed his energy and attention toward completing his master's work. The galaxy had very nearly fallen into darkness. In truth, only Coruscant and a select few Republic strongholds remained to challenge him. However, as he attempted to muster his forces, Phael found that the other Sith Masters refused to serve a Sith of their own standing. He had not earned the title in their eyes and was indeed Dark Lord only because of Mephistus's ill-met fate. Seeing that in his current state of power he would not be able to command the reverence of the Order, Phael fled the known galaxy to test himself in the Unknown Regions.

Phael traveled the galaxy for several years, faced many obstacles and encountered many strange beings. During these years his powers grew exponentially to a level that he could never have achieved with the Order. Indeed the challenges he faced arguably caused the change in his personality that would eventually lead to his death. After studying a holocron he left behind, Sith scholars learned of many of his trials, many of which could easily have caused lesser beings to immediately become insane.

One of such ventures was the supposed rediscovery of the Star Forge. Phael stumbled upon it in his fifth year of wandering and attempted to reactivate the factory. Much to his dismay, Revan's Bane, refused him and attempted to destroy the Sith. Trapped and alone on the huge structure, Phael battled his way through seas of combat droids and other defenses that littered the corridors of the Star Forge. Luckily, Phael was able to procure a small vessel from one of the hangar bays and escaped after setting the factory to self destruct.

During his extensive travels, Phael met an old man who was originally from the planet Zonoma Sekot in Wild Space. The old hermit was also a master ship builder. After spending a week persuasion, Phael convinced him to construct one last ship. As was customary with Sekot construction, the ship was grown around Phael. The Sith watched with great enthusiasm as his future vessel grew to fit his every expectation. Once it was completed, a grand vessel stood. Phael named the vessel the Nightblade for it was a powerful ship that was fast as lightning and black as the night.

Return

Convinced that he now had the power, knowledge and experience to lead the Sith Order, Phael returned to the civilized regions of the Galaxy. Upon his arrival he was alarmed by the changes that had taken place. During his absence, the reincarnation of Exar Kun had taken power, ruled, ravaged Coruscant and fallen. Now his apprentice Edrik Knight controlled the Order. Phael considered Knight to be weak and inexperienced compared to himself. However, he did boast control of a vast fleet and many many followers, an opponent still worth his time.

Dark Lord Phael

Phael set up shop on Malachor V once where he was pleased to discover that many of his old followers had remained loyal to him. They immediately began to transform Malachor so it could better serve its master in his plans to overthrow Edrik Knight. Using the rubble and scrap orbiting the planet, several shipyards were constructed along with several ships named Stormbeasts after the planet's indigenous life. Over time, these ship multiplied as those in commission went on raiding expeditions to claim recourses and followers. Phael soon found himself in command of a force to be reckoned with.

However, Phael's activities did not go unnoticed by Edrik Knight. He sent one of his more cunning followers along with several soldiers to eradicate this threat to his reign. The confrontation did not turn out as her master planned though and she ended up swearing loyalty to Phael. With an insider under his direction, Phael decided it was time to make his move. Edrik was constructing a third Death Star but it was not yet functional. Using an old ship found crashed into the surface of Malachor, Phael tricked Edrik into bringing Phael on board his station.

Phael proceeded, unhindered by Edrik's soldiers, to the command room where Edrik was overseeing the construction. Those who dared stand in his way were immediately destroyed. As soon as he stepped into the room, Phael sealed the doors, killed the lights as well as all the mundanes in the room . The two Sith fought a ferocious battle but it seemed that Phael had underestimated Edrik's power for neither seemed to gain any ground. Finally, as he grew tired, Knight proposed they rule the Order equally. Knowing that Phael could use this offer to eventually eliminate his opponent, he accepted.

As it turned out, Phael would not need to raise a saber against Edrik ever again for his own prisoner convinced him to give up the life of a Sith. This left Phael in total control of the Order. He spent no time consolidating his power and destroying those who may someday rise up against him. However, even with the combined forces, the Order had fallen behind in the galactic arms race and was threatened with destruction from the Jedi and the Mandalorians. In the hopes of growing undetected, Phael pulled back to his keep on Malachor. There he spent the next several days and weeks meditating in Malachor's Heart.

Reign As Dark Lord

Phael spent the next few months quietly building his forces and allowing his enemies to fall into a false sense of security. However, one day, his one of the Sith Lords under his rule informed him that the Jedi were setting up an academy on Hoth and that several Jedi were present on the planet at that very moment. Phael wasted no time mobilizing his fleet. Within a matter of hours, Phael was looking down at the frozen planet with a fire in his eyes.

He took a transport down to the academy that was constructed over the ruins of Echo Base. His soldiers broke in and swarmed the facility killing many of the new padawan learners. Phael himself proceed straight to the council room. The Jedi Council and Phael engaged in a heated battle for almost an hour when the fleet commander in orbit informed him that a Mandalorian advance party had arrived and that their Supreme Commander was on her way. Cursing under his breath, Phael untangled himself from combat and took the transport back to his ship.

When he arrived he had only enough time to see the Mandalorian main task force arrive before he realized that even with numbers on his side he could not win. Unbeknown to Phael, the meditation on Malachor had created a more power connection between him and the planet than he knew. The dark energies of the planet had effectively scrambled his mind over the past few months and the this realization was the trigger that made it snap. Without a moment's hesitation, Phael ordered the entirety of Edrik Knight's old fleet to ram the planet's surface. If he was going to lose he was going to make sure the Jedi on Hoth died as well.

Just as the calculations for the jump back to Malachor were completed, Phael grinned maniacally, his mind totally corrupted by Malachor. He took only a moment to taunt Commander Luna then retreated from the fray. Phael's actions on Hoth would be remembered for centuries as the bloodiest massacre of Jedi since the reign of Palpatine and the issuing of Order 66.

Death

As soon as Phael arrived on Malachor, he immediately began making preparations for the imminent Jedi and Mandalorian attack. He knew that they would never allow such an insane act of savagery to go unpunished. All his minions were recalled to the planet and the Mass Shadow Generator was brought back online after being repaired. The last of his ships returned just as the Jedi Grand Master and the Mandalorian Supreme Commander arrived to kill Phael.

They found the Dark Lord waiting for them, sitting on his thrown and smiling like the lunatic he was. Luna attempted to use her alter ego to get Phael to back down but it was no use. Her efforts simply pushed Phael farther off the edge. He had enough of her harassment and activated the Mass Shadow Generator, dooming every living thing on the planet to ultimate and total destruction, including himself. Sirius attempted to convince his daughter Luna to flee the planet with him but she was determined to make sure Phael could not escape. The two Force Adepts were crushed to death while staring each other down, daring the other to move.